Final answer:
The requirement for embalming with open casket visitations reflects enduring funerary customs, which have historical roots and have evolved over time to include considerations like environmental impact.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a funeral director states that at this funeral home every body that has an open casket visitation MUST be embalmed, this is a reflection of the cultural practices and legal requirements related to funerary customs. Throughout history, funerary customs have varied greatly; some cultures practiced ritualistic practice in intentional burials as evidence by placing the dead in a specific manner. For instance, the respect for ancestral custom and precedents, known in Roman culture as mos maiorum, involved a public ritual where the deceased was carried through the city to honor and connect the living family with the past. In contemporary times, these customs have evolved, and environmental considerations have invited a growing number of people to consider alternatives like cremation or natural burial to mitigate the environmental consequences of conventional burials.